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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

5 (Completely Wrong) Reasons People Don’t Want To Try a Disney Cruise

Castaway Cay - aka Paradise

There are a lot of reasons people THINK they won’t like Disney cruises.Even people who love Disney and know the quality of the product they offer!If you are one of those people, you’ve probably heard some things about cruises that aren’t really accurate.Cruising brings up a lot of questions and there are a lot of misconceptions out there.Even for seasoned Disney vets, a Disney cruise can be intimidating for a first timer, and some people don’t even want to try it.I don’t want you to make that mistake!

So let’s debunk some cruising myths!Here are 5 of them.

The Disney Fantasy

1. I’ll Get Bored - Fear of boredom seems to be a big one for people who have never cruised before.Some people seem to think that all there is to do is play shuffleboard and eat.And while I have done both of those on cruises, one a great deal more than the other, there are so many other things to do!It’s far more likely that you’ll get off the ship thinking of all the things you didn’t have time to do then get off thinking you were bored.Aside from the obvious sunning and pool activities, you’ll find animation classes, miniature golf, first run movies, cooking classes, live bands, variety shows, dancing lessons, karaoke, trivia contests, bingo, dance parties, ship tours, and more. And that’s while you’re at sea!That doesn’t even include the countless options of activities there are in each gorgeous port!I have snorkeled in St. Thomas, ridden bikes on Castaway Cay, swam with dolphins in Tortola, kayaked in Ketchikan, zip-lined in Skagway, wandered the magnificent streets of Rome, watched the changing of the palace guard in Monte Carlo, toured the ruins of Pompeii, haggled with street sellers in Africa, and eaten pizza in Naples. All while on Disney cruises.Does that sound boring to you?

The Disney Fantasy

2. It’s Too Expensive – That’s not necessarily true.Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that a Disney cruise is cheap.I am, however, saying it may not be as much as you think. Especially if you can cruise during a less expensive time.Like any Disney vacation, the less expensive times are usually when schools are in session.September is typically a very inexpensive month to cruise.Lately there have even been some great last minute restricted fare discounts on summer cruises!Occasionally you’ll see a Kids Sail Free offer.So deals are out there if you can be flexible.If you can’t be flexible, don’t forget to consider all that’s included in a Disney cruise.If you want to compare it to your normal Disney World vacations, you really need to calculate the cost of premium tickets, deluxe dining and a deluxe resort to compare to what you’re getting on a Disney Cruise and it’s still not the same.I would argue you’re still getting more on a cruise.

The Disney Wonder in Alaska

3. A Disney Cruise Ship Will be Overrun with Kids – Are there kids on a Disney cruise?You betcha!Are there lots of kids on a Disney cruise?Definitely.Are they taking over the ship?Not even close.Disney knows how to make both kids and adults happy.Disney has created a standard for children’s entertainment on cruises that other cruise lines have only just begun to meet.The kids clubs will keep most children happy for hours.On occasion, I’ve had to drag my children out of them to force them to spend time with me!The ships all have designated adult only pools and sun decks for a peaceful escape from children if you should so desire.On Disney’s amazing private island, Castaway Cay, there is an adult only beach and restaurant.Before or after dinner each night (where your servers will get to know your kids by name and entertain them with magic tricks, jokes and unlimited patience), children and grown ups alike will be amazed by the Broadway caliber shows that Disney puts on.On other nights, parents don’t ever have to worry that their children will hear inappropriate jokes during the comedy and variety shows.It’s all family friendly!After hours the comedians come back for adult only shows and the night clubs open up for guests over 18.In short, on a Disney cruise you really can spend as much, or as little, time around kids as you would like.

It doesn't get much cuter.

4. I Have to Get Dressed Up – You don’t.You can!But you don’t have to.On shorter cruises there are dress up nights, and on cruises of 7 nights or longer there are both formal and semi formal nights.This is heaven for those that love to break out the fancy duds, and, well, not so much heaven for those that don’t.If you don’t, you will be happy to know that there are lots of other options for dinner.You can eat pizza or burgers out by the pools, you can order room service in your pajamas, you can even eat what people are eating in the main dining rooms if you go to Cabanas (or Topsiders or Beach Blanket Buffet depending on which ship you’re on) for dinner.All of the above is free!Or technically I should say “included in the cost of your cruise” but at that point you’ve already paid for your cruise, so I call it free!But think twice before you leave those ties at home. How many times do you get to pose for a picture with Mickey in a tux?Would you have wanted to pass up this photo op?

The Magic in Tunisia

5. I’ll Get Seasick – There are a lot of people who get motion sickness in this world.The actual number of those same people that get sick on cruises?It’s shockingly low.If you’re prepared, only the worst of seas will make you woozy.There are so many awesome seasickness remedies out there.Sea bands, the Patch, Non Drowsy Dramamine, and the list goes on.I suffer from motion sickness.I’ve been violently ill on a smaller boat, I can’t ride the Tea Cups or Star Tours, and quite frankly, even Expedition Everest makes me a little woozy.I have never been sick on a Disney cruise.I take a Non Drowsy Dramamine every morning as a preventative measure and I am good to go.On two cruises we have been in waves of 20 feet or higher and I did feel better after lying down for a little while, but it’s rare that the waves ever get that high.The captain doesn’t want people lying down in their staterooms watching movies.He wants the passengers out enjoying all that the ship has to offer and he does his best to avoid rough seas and make that happen.

Snorkeling on Castaway Cay

More than 90% of prior cruisers say they want to take another cruise.There’s a reason for such a high percentage of repeat guests, once people have tried a cruise, they love it.And they want to go again.Experienced cruisers consistently rank Disney above other cruise lines.If you haven’t tried one - do it.Now is the time.